TaylorMade Adidas Golf started it a few years ago with their Tour 360 shoes
and now it seems that the major manufacturers are following suit and angling
their bags towards the equipment category rather than simply just an accessory.
It used to be a simple decision - a
carry bag or a cart
bag? Now however it seems that there are bags for more scenarios than we could
ever have imagined. Picking the right bag for your game could help keep fatigue
from setting in long enough to make that sloppy 3-putt on the 16th a distant
memory. By reading our guide you will find the right bag for you and make carrying,
pushing or pulling a more pleasurable experience.
What type of Bag?
In the good old days it was a simple decision - a
cart bag for my cart
or a carry bag (which
was basically the same but a bit lighter if you were lucky) if you chose to
carry. But now it seems that the top manufacturers have developed scenarios
just so that they can make a bag to cater for it. All bases are truly covered
- if you want a light weight
carry bag you can have
one. If you want 4, 6 or even 14 dividers in it you can have them! Two rain
pockets or 1 rain and 1 valuable - No Problem! The same goes with
cart bags. The possibilities
are endless! Let’s start with the most popular type - the traditional carry.
Carry Bags
Despite every Tour Professional under
the sun using a tour bag the most popular bags for club golfers are
carry bags (also known
as stand bags). This is largely due to the sheer size of
tour bags - most club
players cannot afford to pay a caddy for their monthly medal. Then there’s the
cost. Carry bags are
considerably cheaper than tour bags - usually around half the price.
Stand bags are a lot
lighter and generally more practical than the larger tour and cart bags. Almost
every carry or stand bag
that is available will carry a full complement of 14 clubs, countless tee’s
and balls as well as the other accessories that any golfer will need for an
eventful 18-holes. As they are designed to be carried
carry/stand bags come
with a double strap that is designed to spread the weight across your back instead
of leaving it on one shoulder - something a single strap would do. One good
thing about these bags is that if you do decide to use a cart then your stand
bag will do a job here too! Not as well as a cart - but it’s always nice to
have the option.
Cart Bags
The alternative to carrying your bag is to let someone or something else so
the work for you - i.e. a caddy or a cart.
Cart bags tend to be
bigger than their
carry/stand
brothers simply due to the fact that the golfer does not have to carry the extra
weight. The additional weight is largely due to the added structure that a cart
bag has.
Cart bags are
more solid and will hold up better against the day-to-day tasks of hauling it
in and out of a boot and a round of golf. Bigger bags equals more storage for
your tee’s, balls and waterproofs - and as you're not carrying it you can take
more supplies out with you on the golf course. Basically, whatever you need
to get round - it’ll fit. As they are designed to be placed on a cart these
bags only come with a single strap - something that is not designed for carrying.
So unlike a
stand bag
that can act as a temporary
cart bags, a cart bag
can only be a cart bag.
Tour Bags
Apart from those poor souls - the Tour caddies - I’m yet to see anyone even
think about carrying a Tour
bag so on that note they can be grouped together with the cart bags. However
they are so unbelievably amazing that I thought they deserved a special mention.
Identical replicas of the one you see on tour these bags are the Rolls Royce
of golf bags. Not only will they comfortably carry your 14 clubs and everything
else you could need (and some stuff you won’t - including LCD screens that are
now appearing on Tour as a advertising space!) you’ll forever be smiling as
you put you clubs away safe in the knowledge that you’ve got the same bag as
Garcia,
Westwood,
McIlory and
the like.
Pencil Bags
A relatively new idea form the big boys, the
pencil bag is the
perfect solution to the quandary of wanting a quick 9 holes without having to
lug your normal bag around with you. As the research and development into this
section of the bag market increases the bags are getting smaller but able to
carry more - with many comfortably carrying a full set of golf clubs and accessories.
Some come with a double strap that make you think you're not carrying anything
at all and other come with a single strap that sits on one shoulder. Clearly
not for everyone but if you like the simplicity of 2 pockets and no nonsense
tops then this is the option for you.
Ladies Bags
Like ladies golf clubs
ladies golf bags are
- to the eye - much the same as the men’s. However when you look under the surface,
the technology behind them is very clever. Like the golf clubs they are shorter
and lighter than the male equivalent and generally more ascetically pleasing.
Now we know what sort of bag you’re looking for we can iron out the finer
details of your specification and find the perfect bag for you.
How Many Pockets?
To the non golfer a pocket will simply be a pocket. But to the avid golfer
among us we’ll know that there are different types of pocket - one for every
occasion. We’ll look at each of them in turn so you can decide if they’re for
you and weather to look out for them.
Accessory Pockets
This is your standard pocket. Ball, tees, and pitch mark repairers - they
can all be kept in here. Most bags will have these in abundance. Simply zip
up and away you go!
Valuable Pockets
Not dissimilar in the places they are positioned opened and closed these
pockets are designed to be easy going on your more precious items, keeping them
away from the abrasive edges of balls and tees. Phones, wallets and other such
items can be kept in here without fear of being damaged thanks to the soft fur,
fleece lining that these pockets feature.
Rain Pocket
If a soft fur/fleece lining to a pocket is not enough to keep your phone
and wallet safe or you just like playing in the rain then the major manufacturers
have developed a waterproof pocket. Featuring a waterproof zip and waterproof
lining this pocket will keep your valuables be they consumable or not dry in
adverse weather conditions.
Thermal Pocket
It seems that you can get a golf bag with anything on it these days. Deigned
to keep cold things cold and hot thing hot thermal pockets are a welcome addition
to golf bags. They can keep your drink and snacks cold in the summer sun and
then in the winter they can keep a little something warm just that. Acting much
likes a thermos flask - it is the special reflective lining to the pocket that
gives it its almost magical powers.
How Many Dividers?
Top Design
All the manufacturers have developed different club storage systems they
claim to be the answer, but in all honestly it is up to the individual. The
good news is though that there is a solution for everybody. If you want your
putter separate from the others, or your diver and fairways in a different section
and even if you want ever club in their own special area - all bases are covered!
Apart from keeping your club in place the divider also acts as support to
stop the club rattling around whilst in transit. This will stop club head banging
together causing damage (reducing sell on value) while reducing the rattling
noise that is created when carrying clubs.
Full Length Dividers
Full length dividers take club organisation one step further. While a fancy
top design can keep your clubs looking neat and tidy from the outside at the
bottom of the bag grips and shafts will look more like a game of Kerplunk -
making taking the club required out of the bag a chore. From their name you
can probably guess that full length dividers stem the length of the bag and
stop this from happening - making pulling bags from the bag easy so that you
can concentrate on the shot you’re about to play.
Obviously a 14-way top together with full length dividers is the ultimate
club storage system but with this come added weight so these are usually saved
for the top end cart bags.
Conclusion
We hope that you have found this guide useful and are now closer to deciding
which bag is the one for you. Most of the features are available on the majority
of bags on the Golfbidder website so you will not have to make too many sacrifices.
If you have any other questions please don’t hesitate to call the Golfbidder
customer service team. You can contact them through the address and phone number
below.
Telephone: 0208 401 5918
Email: help@golfbidder.co.uk